The popularity of the term has ebbed and flowed in reflection of the constant changes in youth cultures in each decade. The meaning has also altered slightly as different youth cultures have adapted the word (and related words) to suit their milieu and lifestyles.

In its original 1960s incarnation the word was a synonym for the American slang term “party animal” – a gregarious fun-loving individual. In its second incarnation (from the 1980s onwards) the word has come to mean anyone who attends extended night-time music events known as “raves”. In the post-1980s meaning – the essence of the word relates primarily to the type of events the person attends rather than to the personality of the individual.

In the 1980s, a new youth culture evolved based initially on Acid House music and all-night parties. Adapted from the earlier usage of the word – these events became known as raves – and the participants at raves were invariably called Ravers.

This new "rave culture" spread worldwide by the mid 1990s and soon the music played at raves evolved past the Acid House played previously into new forms of electronic music including Trance, Dance, Hardcore, Industrial, Techno, Psychedelic Trance (or Psytrance), Jungle (or Drum and Bass), and Happy Hardcore.

With the change and broadening of music played at the events so did the subtypes of "Ravers". Soon there were Hardcore Ravers, Jungalists, Clubbers (thouse who held on to the club culture even as raves shifted away from being held just at clubs), Kandi Kids (or Candy Raver), Trance Heads, and Gravers ("Gothic Ravers") etc. Each subtype sometimes held to a certain clothing style and/or musical genre within or outside of the "rave scene".

Much like with perkygoff, there is a raver manifesto, written by an unknown personon how a raver should live.

Ravers believe in a simple credo, summarized by the candied bracelets that often contain the letters "P.L.U.R" Peace, love, unity,and respect,symbolize the tenets of the rave culture. At raves, these beads are often exchanged as a unifying sign of understanding and communion in the rave experience.

Although ravers do not need to have a unifying outward apearance, they typically wear very bright/neon colors. For shirts they may wear brightly colored babydoll tees, fishnet, and anything neon; with either capri pants, neon shorts, or for girls brightly colored skirts, with fishnet or stript tights are always good as well. They typically also often wear fluffy boots, or generally brightly colored platform boots, with armwarmers, weird headbands like goggles, sometimes kandi, and assorted glowing bits and peices. Stripes, smiley facees, and other 'cute' motifs are also common. Make-up is also bright and sparkly, and -you guessed it- often neon.

Image from Deviantart, info -save for the last paragraph, which is mine- from wikipedia.